Poha is a popular breakfast in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. Poha is flattened rice, cooked fried with onions, peanuts, and Indian spices. Poha as a dish is continuously evolving and becoming more flavorful. This makes it an ideal breakfast option since energy in the form of carbs is what is required in the morning. Poha as an ingredient works well with lots of variations. Poha can be eaten roasted with some peanuts & spices which is known as Poha Chivda. But what if this Vegetarian delicacy had a Non Veg side with chicken in it. It may sound strange but this strange combination is popular in Virar near Mumbai. This combination adds a necessary dose of protein to it making it a complete meal in itself. People travelling for work or within their busy life find this dish not only delicious and quick to eat but also nutritious.
This is one of the oldest street foods of Mumbai. It was in 1940 when Mr. Babu Hari Gawad, who ran a palm wine making business, invented this by chance. He would often meet with his friends over some drinks and his friends would demand for some Chakna. One day while they were having their drink he roasted chicken in a brick kiln but it turned out to be greasy. So, he added poha to soak the oil and it worked. And there came a new innovative dish Bhujing Chicken. This recipe led to creation of the first Bhujing Centre known as “Agashi Bhujing Centre”. The word, bhujing is derived from the Marathi word, bhujne, which means roasting. In the 1940s, many affluent residents in close contact with the British, added ‘ing’ to the dish,” and it became bhujing.
The chicken is marinated with a mix of turmeric, cumin and coriander powder and skewered with few potatoes and roasted on a large coal brick kiln. The meat is then shallow fried and with onions. Poha is then added with a secret garam masala and roasted along with the chicken. The Garam masala Usually consists of cloves, cinnamon, cardamom, red chilies and dry coconut, these spices are roasted and then ground to fine powder. A burst of smoked and spicy flavors is what you get while indulging in this dish.
This dish has been adopted by various places around Mumbai and few in Gujarat. This dish has also made its way from streets to restaurants and hotels across Mumbai and Maharashtra.
